1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to drinking straws. More particularly, the invention relates to a straw device for consumption of liquids from a reservoir in a vessel, which provides a means for regulating fluid flow of fluid volume, velocity, and acceleration, on exit from the proximal end of the straw during which suction is imparted by a user. The device is removably engageable to conventional straws without the need to modify the existing straw or can be formed as a unitary structure.
2. Prior Art
Drinking straws are a convenient way to drink fluids from containers and in some instances may be a necessity for certain individuals such as hospital patients, children, the elderly, disabled persons, and others. While some such individuals are able to employ a cup or limited pouring glass device, for many patients, a straw is the only means for ingesting liquid from a container holding it. Such patients may have suffered from a stroke causing facial paralysis or other motor function problems inhibiting muscular control of the mouth and/or throat. For patients suffering from facial paralysis affecting one side of their mouths, or causing lack of muscle control, or lack of experience using a straw, there is an inherent risk if they are allowed to ingest the total volume of liquid reaching the distal end of the straw on which they are sucking. Further, for patients recovering from head trauma or brain trauma, there can be a lack of reflexes as well as lost knowledge on how to swallow and how hard to suck on a straw. Such patients can suffer severe health problems should fluid from a straw be communicated to the lungs from misuse or lack of ability to use the straw properly.
As such, within the medical realm there exists a population of patients who, because of inexperience with straws or various congenital or acquired physical disorders, have deficient oropharyngeal or oral motor function which impairs their ability to manipulate and transport food and fluids placed in their mouths. Due to such poor control of the oropharyngeal muscles, such patients may tend to draw too much fluid through a straw, or such patients may have reflexes which are slow to swallow the volume of fluid drawn through the proximal end of the straw which can lead to the fluid being accelerated into the mouth and throat which can cause choking and communication of the fluid to the lungs.
As a result of such inherent or acquired disabilities, many patients are in constant danger of ingesting too much fluid when sucking on a straw to drink or sucking too hard and causing excess acceleration of the discharge of the fluid to their mouths. Whether there is an excess of fluid or fluid discharging to the mouth at high acceleration, many patients are just unable to effectively swallow the volume of fluid naturally drawn into their mouths.
Excess fluid volume or over accelerated fluid can result in the patient losing the drawn fluid out of their mouth or nose through choking or coughing, thereby yielding an embarrassing occurrence. Worse yet, patients who ingest too much in a suck of the straw or fail to dispose of the fluid from the nose or mouth during choking may suffer from passage of the fluid into their lungs. Communication of such fluid to the lungs can result in respiratory arrest, or more often, a lung infection from fluid being deposited in their lungs.
To limit or eliminate the danger and embarrassment to patients from such occurrences, a drinking straw is needed that limits both the acceleration and the volume of fluid a patient can suck from the distal end and bring into their mouth during each instance.
As a result, prior art has shown many attempts to provide straw devices which solve these problems. U.S. Pat. No. 7,354,007 to Pearson teaches a therapeutic training straw for controlling the intake of beverages. The device to Pearson generally comprises an elongated straw body having a flow limiting compartment axially aligned with the straw body. The compartment houses an insoluble object which can be positioned to stop the flow of fluid through the compartment by imparting a suction force on the straw to draw the object to a fluidly sealed position within the compartment.
The device to Pearson is intended to regulate the amount of liquid a user may drink in one sip, and in the event of excessive suction and acceleration of fluid through the straw, it provides a seal to stop fluid flow to prevent inadvertent aspiration by the user.
However, the device to Pearson relies solely on an insoluble object to properly seal the conduit from further fluid flow in the event of excessive volume suction or acceleration of fluid through the straw. Pearson does not teach any means for regulating fluid volumetric flow rate into the compartment as may be needed to further regulate and control fluid flow through the straw.
As such, there exists a need for a flow regulating apparatus that will limit both the volumetric flow rate and acceleration of fluid exiting the distal end of the straw to the user's mouth. Further, such a device, depending on the fluid flow rate, should provide a means to limit the maximum volume of fluid allowed to exit the distal end of the straw into a user's mouth during each suck upon the straw. Such a device should be easily engageable with conventional straws without the need to permanently modify the existing straw. Such a device should provide a means for varying the flow rates and the maximum fluid volume in relation to flow rate during each impartation of suction by the user to allow for different flow rates and maximum potential volume dispensed to a user depending on their ability to swallow.
The forgoing examples of related art and limitation related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.